Mills pushing restoration of collegiate wrestling in Georgia

ATLANTA - Should wrestling be reinstated as a collegiate sport in Georgia? State Rep. James Mills of Gainesville thinks it should and has introduced legislation to try and bring the sport back.

Mills says Georgia's 6,000 high school wrestlers should be able to seek scholarships at state schools.

He says wrestling was discontinued years ago when the federal government sought to equalize athletic college scholarships for men and women. "And, basically, I think wrestling got laid on the chop block."

Mills says that puts high school wrestlers in Georgia at a disadvantage when it comes to seeking college scholarships.

"Many of our athletes who earn scholarships have to go out of state."

And, many wind up going to other parts of the country, Mills said, because most adjoining states don't have wrestling programs in their public colleges and universities either.

Mills says his resolution, HR 246, has cleared the first legislative hurdle, passing the House Higher Education Committee.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2007/2/94301